Daily Bulletin: Phase 1 voting in J&K ULB polls today, Tanushree Dutta files FIR against Nana Patekar; day's top stories

Round 1 of Jammu and Kashmir local polls today

As many as 584 polling stations will be set up in Jammu where the first phase of the four-phased local body elections which will start from Monday, officials said. In the first of the four-phase elections, eight districts of the Kashmir division, including Leh and Kargil, will vote Monday to elect representatives to 15 municipal councils and committees, including three wards of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation. After the National Conference and the PDP announced their decision not to participate in the municipal polls, the contest is largely between the Congress, the BJP and a large number of independent candidates. A total of 4,42,159 electorate will vote to elect their representatives among 743 candidates at 584 polling stations including 505 polling stations for municipal corporation Jammu and 79 for municipal committees, district election officer, Ramesh Kumar told reporters in Jammu.

While 447 candidates are in the fray for the 75 wards of municipal corporation Jammu, 296 candidates are trying their luck in the 79 wards of seven municipal committees. A total of 422 wards spread over various districts of Jammu and Kashmir are going to polls in the first phase. Kumar said the district administration Jammu has made foolproof security arrangements for the smooth conduct of the polls. Adequate security would be deployed at the identified hypersensitive and sensitive polling stations, he said, adding that micro observers have also been appointed to monitor 46 hyper-sensitive polling stations. The voting will be from 7 am to 4 pm, he said. For the first time, electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used in the polls, for which proper training has been imparted to the polling staff.

Tanushree Dutta files police complaint against Nana Patekar, others for sexual harassment

Tanushree Dutta on Saturday filed a police complaint against veteran actor Nana Patekar for allegedly sexually harassing her on the sets of a film in 2008, police said. Dutta, in a recent interview alleged that Patekar had misbehaved with her while filming a song for the 2008 film Horn Ok Pleasss. She has filed the complaint at the Oshiwara Police Station against Patekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya, producer Sameer Siddiqui and director Rakesh Sarang.

According to reports, Patekar is likely to address a press conference at 3 pm on Monday on Dutta’s sexual harassment accusations against him. According to Dutta’s advocate Nitin Satpute, the actor will be giving a statement to the police on Sunday. “We have filed a police complaint, they are investigating the matter and tomorrow (Sunday) they have called her (Dutta) for recording her statement,” Satpute told PTI.

He added that a similar complaint had been filed by the actor back in 2008 as well. In a letter, Dutta said that she lodged her complaint for the registration of FIR under Sections 354, 354 (A), Section 34 and Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). She further said before shooting the song, which was supposed to be a solo song picturised only on her, she had clearly mentioned that she will not enact or perform any lewd, vulgar or uncomfortable steps.

Fuel prices hit three-week high

Within a day of the one-off excise duty cut and PSUs subsidising fuel, petrol and diesel prices are on the rise again and have hit a three-week high. Petrol and diesel prices were cut by a minimum Rs 2.50 on 5 October when the government’s only second cut in excise duty of Rs 1.50 per litre and State-owned fuel retailers providing a Rs one per litre subsidy came into effect.   Petrol price was hiked by 18 paise a litre on 6 October and 14 paise on Sunday, according to daily price notification issued by state-owned oil firms. Petrol, which in Delhi was cut to Rs 81.50 on 5 October was on Sunday available at Rs 81.82 per litre. Diesel rates were hiked by 29 paise a litre each on 6 October and Sunday. It costs Rs 73.53 per litre in Delhi, up from Rs 72.95 on 5 October. Petrol in Mumbai retailed for Rs 87.29 a litre on 7 October while diesel was priced at Rs 77.06 per litre.

Protests against Supreme Court verdict against Sabarimala spread across India

Both the ruling CPM and Opposition Congress Saturday wanted a dialogue with the people concerned before implementing the Supreme Court verdict on entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple.The parties’ stand comes in the backdrop of mounting protest by devotees of Lord Ayyappa across the state. Hundreds of devotees, mostly women, took part in the ‘namajapa’ (chanting the name of Lord Ayyappa marches in Kottayam and Malappuram districts against the LDF government’s decision to implement the top court verdict without going for a review. The Kerala government’s move to hold talks with ‘Thazhamon tantries’, the head priests of the Sabarimala Temple, received a setback Sunday with one of the priests saying there was no relevance in holding discussions.

The Pandalam royals, the erstwhile rulers associated with the Lord Ayyappa temple, also said there was no point in holding discussions now as the CPI(M)-led LDF government had already taken a decision to implement the top court order. Meanwhile, protests by devotees of Lord Ayyappa, demanding the retaining of the age-old tradition, rituals and faith of the hill shrine, continued in several parts of the state. There were reports that the government invited the tantri family and the members of Pandalam royals for a discussion with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday. Kandararu Mohanaru, one of the three tantries, and Sasikumar Varma, a member of the Pandalam royal family, said there was no relevance of holding talks with the government right now as they were not ready for a review against the apex court order.

Neeraj Ghaywan, Varun Grover vow to create safe working environment for women

Director Neeraj Ghaywan and writer Varun Grover are ashamed of their association with now-dissolved production banner Phantom Films, and have promised to work towards creating a safe working environment for women, they each revealed in social media posts. The reaction came in the aftermath of allegations of sexual harassment against Phantom Films co-founder Vikas Bahl by a woman employee. After introspecting, Ghaywan and Grover have decided to set the things right by having more women in powerful position on the set, creating more channels for clear communication and ensuring implementations of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, also known as PoSH guidelines.